Developing a typology of Business-to-Business (B2B) customer journeys

Interest in customer journeys (CJ) is growing in business-to-business (B2B) settings. Surprisingly, scholars remain silent about how contextual factors shape combinations of B2B CJs, B2B customer experience management (CXM) approaches, and B2B customer experiences (CX). Employing an abductive research procedure that integrates field-based insights from 56 managers with literature, we propose a typology of three distinct B2B CJ archetypes. We identify (1) lean CJs, focusing on efficiency and minimizing customer effort through seamless, digitally driven touchpoints; (2) co-created CJs, prioritizing collaboration through personalized, consulting touchpoints that address diverse stakeholder goals and strengthen relationships; and (3) transformational CJs, emphasizing strategic partnerships and new ways of value creation by introducing innovative touchpoints to the CJ. Our analysis also reveals four tensions in customer–supplier interactions across the three CJ types. These CJ archetypes and associated tensions help marketers align their CXM approach with specific customer goals, meaningful CX responses, and relevant business contexts.